Empirical Investigation Research Articles

Enhancing teacher competence through collaborative worksheet development: an empirical investigation

This study examined the efficacy of collaborative teaching using a projectbased learning (PjBL) worksheet on plastic waste and climate change. The research design followed a type-II development approach, with two distinct phases: exploration and development, and collaborative teaching. The study involved five science teachers, two lecturers, and 45 seventh-grade students in three limited field trials. The study found that collaborative teaching through worksheet development could increase science teachers’ professionalism, particularly in the collegial phase. Furthermore, the study developed a valid PjBL-based worksheet on plastic waste and climate change, aligning with the 2013 curriculum for science instruction in junior high school, involving three core competencies. The research design employed a lesson study framework, which allowed for a thorough exploration of the research topic, leading to the development of effective instructional material. The findings of this study have significant implications for science education in junior high school, particularly in promoting active learning and fostering a deeper understanding of complex environmental issues. Overall, the study highlights the importance of collaborative teaching and the potential of PjBL-based worksheets in enhancing teacher competence and developing relevant instructional materials that align with the curriculum.

An innovative approach for the passive cooling of batteries: An empirical investigation of copper deposition on polyurethane foam for the enhancement of phase change material

A proof-of-concept utilising Copper-Plated Polyurethane Foam (CPPF) and Phase Change Material (PCM) for passive thermal management of lithium-ion batteries is demonstrated in this study. The aim of this research is to assess the effectiveness of CPPF when utilised as a constituent substance in PCM/Foam composites. Six distinct configurations of PCM/Foam composites are presented in this work using 10-pore-per-inch foam. A total of four deposition foam samples were produced. Of these, three were created by gradually increasing the immersion time in an electroless copper plating solution. For the fourth sample, an electroless plating technique was utilised for 80 min, followed by an electroplating procedure to deposit an additional layer of copper. The evaluation entails examining each plated sample in comparison to a copper foam that is commercially available with a purity level of 99.99 %. The findings reveal that the electroless-plated specimens exhibit improved effectiveness after being subjected to a prolonged plating period of 80 min. The electroplated sample exhibited the greatest degree of effectiveness, as evidenced by a 64.4 % reduction in battery cell surface temperature(10.98 °C), which is almost identical to the 64.5 % decrease in temperature (11.03 °C) observed with commercial foam but coupled with 88.1 % decrease in mass. The results suggest that the CPPF-PCM composites offer effective passive cooling properties for batteries.

Effects of alliance portfolio breadth and depth on exploratory and exploitative innovation: Evidence from Indian high-tech sectors

Firms increasingly pursue collaborative innovation using alliance portfolios (APs) to enhance innovation outcomes. AP breadth and depth are two important dimensions of collaborative innovation. AP breadth enhances a firm’s access to a variety of external knowledge whereas AP depth helps integration of external knowledge. This study examined how AP breadth and depth, separately and jointly, affect firm innovation. Drawing primarily on the organisational learning perspective, we suggested that AP breadth enhances a firm’s exploratory innovation but lowers its exploitative innovation. However, AP depth improves a firm’s exploitative innovation but diminishes its exploratory innovation. Further, we suggested that the interaction effect of AP breadth and depth is negative for exploratory innovation whereas it is positive for exploitative innovation. An empirical investigation conducted on a longitudinal dataset of Indian firms from high-tech sectors broadly supported our theoretical arguments.

Digital procurement practices in SMES: comparative cases of advanced and emerging economies

About 99 percent of American firms are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and more than 88 percent of people are employed in SMEs. However, most SMEs are not using supplier interactions in digital platforms which is a flexible IT infrastructure (software, hardware, and network) and a well-developed information management capability. Organizations can use digital procurement platforms to foster managerial improvisation and can leverage, depending on the type of unexpected event. If we look at the emerging economy, the percentage of SMEs of total business is almost the same as advanced economies, but their digitalization is much less than the advanced economy. It is obvious that digital procurement is now one of the most significant prerequisites to tackle the supply chain crisis that leads to gaining competitive advantages in the financial and non-financial perspective of a business. It is also true that lacking the proper understanding of digital transformation and organizational capabilities, many small and medium enterprises are facing enormous hardships to sustain. This study aims to examine the challenges and opportunities of SMEs with digital procurement. Based on the literature review, we present a research model of digital transformation which defines key variables. We also use case study instruments to target SMEs in different sectors in advanced (USA) and emerging economies (Bangladesh) for empirical investigation.

Evidence on an endogenous growth model with public R&D

ABSTRACT The empirical investigation of properties of an endogenous growth model by Huang, Lai, and Peretto ([2023]. “Public R&D, Private R&D and Growth: A Schumpeterian Approach.” public.econ.duke.edu mimeo) in this paper confirms important assumptions and results of the model for OECD countries. Labour-augmenting technical change is enhanced through private and public R&D stocks in fully modified and dynamic OLS mean-group and pooled mean-group estimations, also when adding the number of enterprises. The CES spillover functions in the growth model’s functions for R&D stock dynamics are supported through nonlinear estimation under the assumptions of identical or different spillover parameters for private and public R&D. We suggest strong public-to-private spillovers and weak private-to-public spillovers as well as high elasticities of substitution for private–public R&D stocks for private R&D processes and low CES for public R&D processes. We confirm the existence of private–public researcher interaction effects in the private R&D knowledge growth function and provide tentative evidence for the linear model relation between public researchers and firm-level R&D and the hump-shaped relation between public and private researchers (both as % labour force). A vector-autoregressive (VAR) panel model in growth rates produces results, which are in accordance with the impact of public R&D cuts on the steady state and the transitional dynamics of the HLP model.

Thirst symptoms in patients with heart failure: An integrative review.

To identify the risk and protective factors affecting thirst symptoms in patients with heart failure (HF) and intervention strategies to alleviate thirst symptoms. An integrative review. A total of 61 articles were retrieved. Screening yielded a total of 21 articles which were appraised for quality. The quality of studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Ten electronic databases were searched in October 2023, including Embase, Pubmed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Web of Science, Wiley, CNKI, VIP, CBM and WanFang. In addition, we searched grey databases and manually searched reference lists of included and relevant reviews. In total, 1644 articles were retrieved, of which 21 were included. Eight studies addressed the factors. Six themes emerged as risk factors, including demographics, severity of disease, psycho-environmental, medication, fluid restriction and homeostasis. Conversely, an increase in fluid intake, a high score of sodium restriction diet attitude and using ARB were identified as protective factors. Thirteen studies focus on intervention strategies. Five unique intervention strategies were identified, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, mint-related interventions, sour-flavour interventions, improved water restriction and cluster nursing strategy. This finding identified the factors associated with thirst symptoms in patients with HF, especially concerning the elaboration of risk factors, which suggests that healthcare professionals should focus on the risk factors for thirst in patients with HF and consciously avoid the occurrence of these risk factors. Additionally, there are considerable cultural differences in interventions, therefore, to increase adherence during symptom management, careful selection of appropriate intervention strategies based on the requirements and preferences of patients is required. While there are some therapies, there aren't enough high-quality empirical investigations. Thus, multi-centre, large-sample studies are also required in subsequent research to demonstrate the interventions' effectiveness. The nurse must notice the symptoms of thirst in HF to slow down the disease's progression and improve the patient's physical and emotional well-being. The review complies with the PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews. No patient or public contribution.

Do corporate governance mechanisms and ESG disclosures improve bank performance and stability in an emerging economy?

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance mechanisms and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure score on bank performance and financial stability. Further, this paper analyses how this relationship varies over the different ownership structures.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a sample of 41 Indian banks (including both public sector and private sector banks) over the period ranging from 2008 to 2020. The data is analyzed in both static and dynamic frameworks using panel regression and system generalized methods of moments.FindingsThe results indicate that the frequency of board meetings has a negative influence on the performance of the banks. Gender diversity reveals both linear and non-linear relationships with bank performance. In the sample of public sector banks, the board size and promoters’ ownership have a significant negative effect on the bank's performance. In private sector banks, CEO duality adversely affects performance. Further, the results indicate that ESG disclosure score is positively linked with the profitability of banks.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of corporate governance mechanisms and ESG disclosure scores on bank performance and stability in the context of the Indian economy. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there has been no empirical investigation or study that has been conducted in this respect.

A threat to the natural World Heritage site rarely happens alone

This study contributes an empirical investigation of the likelihood that different external threats to a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site occur in combination with each other when site characteristics and location are controlled for. For the purpose of the analysis, the World Heritage database and the UNESCO State of Conservation Reports are used and the nine most frequently appearing external threats are identified. These databases include 6852 site-year observations and 3316 threats over the period 1979–2023. The most commonly identified external threats are illegal activities, with eleven percent of all observations and mining with six percent. Transport infrastructure, tourism and visitor pressure are also common threats. Estimation results based on the multivariate Probit (equation system) model demonstrate that there are strong positive correlations between many pairs of the nine external threats. Most apparent are the links between illegal activities and loss of identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community, water infrastructure (dams) and farming, as well as illegal activities and land conversion. There are also clear links between tourism and infrastructure. This emphasises that the various threats seldom appear in isolation from each other. Results also highlight that the threats have different drivers. Among the determinants, site characteristics and location are the most important ones. The likelihood of threats is highest for Natural Heritage Sites covered by forests or those in marine and coastal areas, Africa as well as the Arab region. It is also possible to identify a general increase in threats over time, although with a diminishing rate of growth towards the period 2015–2019. Contrary to this development and the general downturn in threats during the Covid-19 pandemic period of 2020–2023, pressure from tourism continues to grow. Methodologically, the results emphasize the need for multivariate Probit models when research goes beyond analyses of descriptive statistics and single equation approaches.

Mapping the Research on Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurship

Despite the increasing popularity and research focus on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in entrepreneurship, no comprehensive bibliometric analysis of relevant papers has been conducted. Our review examines 127 Scopus-indexed publications from 2007 to October 2023. The inquiry explores thematic progression, geographical production trends, and seminal works shaping the discourse. Notably, while authors from Asia, mainly China, lead in publication volume, influential works from the USA, the UK, and Australia attract significant scholarly attention. The analysis reveals a prominent trend: highly cited papers often lack theoretical frameworks, with literature reviews and conceptual analyses prevailing over empirical investigations. When theoretical foundations are present, diverse theories are often amalgamated. In conclusion, our review highlights numerous avenues for future academic exploration in this domain. Pragmatically, our effort, the first of its kind, consolidates fragmented insights, providing a cohesive understanding of AI's pivotal role in entrepreneurship.

U.S. Democratic Backsliding and the Decline of Democratic Support Abroad

Abstract A burgeoning literature considers the domestic causes and consequences of democratic backsliding for public perceptions of democracy but has yet to fully examine the role of international factors in explaining these perceptions. Specifically, the effect of democratic backsliding in one democracy on public support for democratic principles in other countries has, thus far, defied theoretical and empirical investigation. Addressing this gap, we propose and test a theory of the effects of backsliding on global opinion in which information about democratic decline in one country can lead to increased support for authoritarian governance in another country. To test this, we use an original survey experiment in Israel where we test the effect of two narratives regarding the 2020 U.S. elections—one signaling democratic decline and one signaling democratic resilience—on support for authoritarian governance. We find that respondents exposed to the narrative of U.S. democratic decline were more supportive of authoritarian governance compared to respondents exposed to the narrative of democratic resilience. We further find marginal evidence that the respondents’ ideological preferences condition the effect of narrative exposure. Our findings suggest that the democratic backsliding literature has insufficiently explored the global consequences of domestic events and processes on democratic decline worldwide.

Robust differential expression testing for single-cell CRISPR screens at low multiplicity of infection.

Single-cell CRISPR screens (perturb-seq) link genetic perturbations to phenotypic changes in individual cells. The most fundamental task in perturb-seq analysis is to test for association between a perturbation and a count outcome, such as gene expression. We conduct the first-ever comprehensive benchmarking study of association testing methods for low multiplicity-of-infection (MOI) perturb-seq data, finding that existing methods produce excess false positives. We conduct an extensive empirical investigation of the data, identifying three core analysis challenges: sparsity, confounding, and model misspecification. Finally, we develop an association testing method - SCEPTRE low-MOI - that resolves these analysis challenges and demonstrates improved calibration and power.

“Can I have it non-personalised?” An Empirical Investigation of Consumer Willingness to Share Data for Personalized Services and Ads

AbstractEuropean regulators, courts, and scholars are currently debating the legality of data processing for personalization purposes. Should businesses require separate consent for processing user data for personalized advertising, especially when offering free services reliant on such ads for revenue? Or is general consent for the contract enough, given personalized advertising’s role in fulfilling contractual obligations? This study investigates whether these legal distinctions reflect differences in people’s willingness to share data with businesses for personalization. Are consumers less willing to share their data for personalized advertising than for personalized services that they clearly contracted for? Does that change if the service is offered for free? Drawing from both the privacy calculus and privacy as contextual integrity theory, the hypothesis posits that individuals would be more inclined to share their data when it is used to personalize the services offered by businesses (e.g., music or news recommendations) rather than for personalized advertising, yet this difference will be smaller when services are offered for free. Using three vignette experiments involving music, shopping, and news services (N = 3,436), the study demonstrates that, contrary to predictions, most individuals are hesitant to share their data for personalization, regardless of whether it’s for advertisements or contracted services. This absence of distinction persists across both paid and free services. The findings strongly support the claim that if the law considers people’s reluctance to share personal data, both personalized advertising and personalized contracted services should require separate consent to data processing from consumers.

Stakeholder engagement in managing systemic risk management

AbstractThis paper employs the interpretative lens provided by stakeholder theory to garner novel insights for research and managerial practices within the framework of high‐reliable organizations (HROs). It proposes an interpretative matrix for analyzing and explaining how stakeholders’ behaviors and interactions can transition from a “strategic” to a “responsibility” approach in the context of risk management. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on a case study of the Italian Civil Protection—an HRO—during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Through the analysis of institutional sources and reports, we apply two theoretical frameworks to examine how the organization's engagement strategy changed in response to an unexpected event. This case serves to illuminate the main implications and practical applications of shared conceptual reflections. The principal implications are traced in terms of theory, practice, and policy, focusing on the joint examination of organizational reliability and stakeholder engagement theory, the potential utility of the proposed case study, and the feasible policy actions. The main limitations of this study lie in the purely qualitative methodology employed, the nature of the organization analyzed, and the territorial scope of the study. Future works will address an empirical investigation of the theoretical relations uncovered herein, as well as the expansion of the spectrum of analysis (e.g., private organizations) and a cross‐country widening of the level of analysis.

Entrepreneurship, subjective risk intelligence and SMEs’ financial stability: evidence from Italy

PurposeThis paper applies an original construct of “subjective risk intelligence (SRI)” to the small business context. By leveraging on its multidimensionality, it aims to shed light on the existing ambiguities in the analysis of the relationship between the entrepreneurial attitude towards risk evaluation and firms’ financial stability.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical investigation refers to the Italian context, where an ad hoc survey has been administered to a sample of small businesses. Based on both a linear and a semiparametric regression, results show a significant relationship between SRI and firm’s financial structure, and that such relationship is basically nonlinear.FindingsEvidence shows that entrepreneurs with a high level of risk intelligence run highly leveraged firms. Moreover, in the light of the non-linearity of such relationship, higher levels of risk intelligence are associated with a greater capacity of the entrepreneur to govern the financial balance of the enterprise only up to a certain threshold. Over this threshold, risk intelligence generates overconfidence leading the entrepreneur to a reckless behaviour in taking financial risks.Originality/valueFrom a theoretical point of view, the paper contributes to the literature by shedding lights on the complexity of the relationship between risk intelligence and small businesses. From a policy point of view, findings suggest that, to train new entrepreneurs, the educational system aims should focus on the development of two specific “soft skills”: the ability to manage emotions and the ability to glimpse opportunities even in uncertain situations.

Do corporations benefit from divesting to private equity acquirers? An empirical investigation

AbstractResearch SummaryFrom the perspective of the divesting firm, do divestitures to private equity (PE) acquirers perform differently from divestitures to corporate acquirers? If so, why? This question‐based, empirical study shows that on average, divestitures to PE acquirers correlate with lower divesting firms' shareholder returns than divestitures to corporate acquirers. The study explores whether these lower returns when divesting to PE acquirers are explained by the differences in PE acquirers' distinct value creation strategies when it comes to target selection, ownership, or transaction timing. The results reveal that divesting firms' lower shareholder returns when divesting to PE acquirers are more likely correlated with differences in value creation by PE acquirers due to their distinct ownership and transaction timing strategies, but not their selection strategies.Managerial SummaryPrivate equity (PE) firms are prominent buyers of corporate divestitures, and PE firms' strategies for creating value when acquiring divested businesses tend to differ from those of corporate buyers. Yet the performance implications, from the perspective of the divesting firm, of divesting a business to a PE acquirer versus a corporate acquirer are not clear. In this study, I explore the differences in returns to firms divesting to PE acquirers versus those divesting to corporate acquirers. First, on average, divesting firms' returns are lower when divesting to PE acquirers. Second, these lower returns are more likely to occur when the PE acquirer may be expecting to create less value, or when firms choose to divest at a suboptimal time.

Drivers of Inclusive Development: An Empirical Investigation

AbstractConcerns about socially uneven progress and inequality have regained public attention (including that of many populist politicians). The purpose of this paper is to identify the economic policies as well as economic factors that facilitate inclusive development. This paper is a first attempt to empirically estimate the drivers of inclusive development. For our empirical assessments, we apply the Multidimensional Inclusiveness Index suggested by Dörffel and Schuhmann (2022) in a panel OLS regression setup with fixed effects (FE) and GMM estimations for up to 178 countries and a time frame ranging from 1980 to 2018. In FE regressions, we find robust associations with inflation as well as financial sector development in the short and long-run, trade/GDP in the long-run. The GMM results point only to inflation and trade as significant drivers in the long-run and investment in the short run. These results suggest that accessible and well-functioning financial markets paired with low rates of inflation and high trade openness take on a more critical role than government spending. Our results suggest that rudiments of the Washington consensus could still guide the promotion of inclusive development.

The Link between Capital Adequacy and Financial Stability: Evidence from Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Co-Operative Societies in Kenya

In Kenya, financial stability of Deposit Taking (DT) Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) as evident in non-performing loans of DT SACCOS has been an issue of concern over the past few years due to evidence indication fluctuating trends. Consequently, should this continue then this sector’s contribution to financial intermediation through provision of financial services will be negatively affected. Though DT SACCOs have sought to enhance their capital adequacy, its effect on enhancement of financial stability remains an issue for further empirical investigation. In view this, the study sought to investigate the effect of capital adequacy on financial stability of DT SACCOS in Kenya. The study was anchored on agency theory. Positivist research philosophy was adopted in this study. The study adopted explanatory research design. The target population for the study comprised 160 DT SACCOs which were fully operational in the period. A census approach was used for the study. This study utilized quantitative secondary data which was obtained from the society’s financial statements and supervision reports from the savings and credit cooperatives regulatory authority. The study utilized annual panel data for the period of 2017 to 2021. Multicollinearity test, normality tests, autocorrelation test, homoscedasticity, stationarity test and model specification test were carried out prior to panel data analysis. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis and panel regression analysis. STATA software was used for the analysis. Ethical standards and regulations were adhered to accordingly. The regression results revealed that capital adequacy had a significant negative effect on NPLs (β=-0.3249614, p-value=0.000<0.05). In view of the findings, the study recommends that regulatory authorities in Kenya should take a proactive response in establishing and enforcing robust capital adequacy standards for DT SACCOs. In addition, higher levels of capital adequacy and improved management efficiency are associated with reduced NPLs ratio among DT SACCOs in Kenya, hence improved financial stability. Keywords: Capital Adequacy, Financial Stability, Deposit Taking, Savings and Credit, Co-Operative Societies

Scientific realism, scientific practice, and science communication: An empirical investigation of academics and science communicators

We argue that the societal consequences of the scientific realism debate, in the context of science-to-public communication are often overlooked and careful theorizing about it needs further empirical groundwork. As such, we conducted a survey experiment with 130 academics (from physics, chemistry, and biology) and 137 science communicators. We provided them with an 11-item questionnaire probing their views of scientific realism and related concepts. Contra theoretical expectations, we find that (a) science communicators are generally more inclined towards scientific antirealism when compared to scientists in the same academic fields, though both groups show an inclination towards realism and (b) academics who engage in more theoretical work are not less (or more) realist than experimentalists. Lastly, (c), we fail to find differences with respect to selective realism but find that science communicators are significantly less epistemically voluntarist compared to their academic counterparts. Overall, our results provide first empirical evidence on the views of scientists and science communicators on scientific realism, with some results running contra to the theoretical expectations, opening up new empirical and theoretical research directions.

ENHANCING E –LIFE WITH IOT: A SMART APPROACH TO EFFICIENT ELECTRICITY MANAGEMENT

In the contemporary era, energy conservation stands out as a pivotal challenge in striving towards a sustainable lifestyle. Regrettably, it often falls by the wayside due to a lack of awareness and the uncertainty surroundings the lifespan of electrical and electronic equipment. Nonetheless, energy conservation remains the most economically viable approach to address energy deficits. Introducing “E-Life,” a ground breaking product, offers a solution to this dilemma while fostering public consciousness. Traditional electricity-intensive devices, despite having specified power requirements and lifespans, frequently outlast their projected longevity. However, they tend to consume more power than indicated due to aging effects. For instance, empirical investigations reveal that a 40-watt incandescent light consumes an additional 25% of its original power post- lifespan. To mitigate such inefficiencies and monitor excessive power consumption across all electronic equipment, we propose integrating the E-life algorithm into an IoT-enabled device. This device, based on the ESP32 platform and capable of managing two loads, provides real-time monitoring and prompts replacement when necessary. Experimental results demonstrate that this innovative gadget can yield energy savings of over 37% within a six-month timeframe for constrained loads. Keywords—Energy Saving; Efficiency; Energy Management; Energy Conservation; IoT; E- Life; ESP32

Cultivated meat in tourism and hospitality: setting the scene and outlining future research agenda

ABSTRACT The major societal challenges of climate change and animal welfare call for novel solutions to produce food. Cultivated meat may represent one of such solutions and research is emerging to understand its implications for food consumption. However, to date research has excluded the sector of foodservice provision as part of the wider tourism and hospitality industry from analysis. The current conceptual paper addresses this critical gap in knowledge by introducing cultivated meat to the context of food consumption outside the home. The paper elaborates upon the implications of cultivated meat for global foodservice provision and outlines an agenda for future research. This agenda considers the interests of multiple stakeholders, including developers/manufacturers of cultivated meat, foodservice providers, consumers, policymakers, and digital technology providers to highlight research avenues that warrant in-depth empirical investigation.